Hunger Games Galaxies: District 12
by War292004
Summary: The twelfth and final district of the Hunger Games Galaxies, whose world is shared with District 7. May the odds be ever in your favorite character's favor. Part 12/13.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 12**

When your world holds two of the Gods' districts for the yearly Hunger Games, it's as if there's double the amount of fear on Reaping Day. For the unfortunate students in the Yasoinaba area, their fears became complete reality when Japan "won" the "honor" of sending four tributes to this year's Hunger Games. While District 7 always took its tributes from large cities, the cruelty of the Gods wasn't satisfied, and they decreed that District 12 would send one boy and girl, between the ages of 12 and 18 normally, from one rural area to the Hunger Games. So, the Yasoinaba area joined Iwatodai, which represented District 7, in sending its children to the bloodbath that was to come.

Yu Narukami walked along the Samegawa Flood Plain with his young cousin, Nanako. Both were dressed in their school uniforms, and they looked immaculate. Neither spoke for the first half of their trip, where Nanako latched on to Yu's hand as if she'd never let go. They'd received the horrifying news only weeks before.

"They're lifting the age restrictions…?" said a horrified Rise when the group sat in their "secret base" at the Junes food court.

"Not entirely… it's still restricted to young people," said Yukiko. "But… the elementary kids can be Reaped this year…"

"Wait so… that means… Nana-chan could…" Teddie began, but then he became far too distressed to continue and dissolved into tears.

"That won't happen. If she was picked, certainly someone would volunteer…" said Naoto.

"Yeah, the daughter of the head detective… they'd fear the consequences if they didn't," said Yosuke.

"Man this is total bullshit!" roared Kanji, punching the table and denting it. "Those so-called 'Gods' are just toying with us. If only we could use our Personas on this side-!"

"Shhh Kanji… there could be Peacekeepers undercover in town already," warned Chie. "Don't give them any ideas…"

"Besides," said Yu. "They seal any sort of power that would give you an unfair advantage in the arena… that's why those people from Districts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 don't just automatically win…"

"That's even more unfair! They may not have their super special powers to start with, but most of those worlds practically breed their kids for fighting. It's just… utter bullshit," hissed Kanji.

"Well… District 12 did really good, last year," said Yukiko. "We made it to the Top 4 for the first time in years… granted, we haven't had a victor since 1955, but still…"

"Big Bro?" muttered Nanako, suddenly, snapping Yu out of his memory.

"What's up, Nanako?" he asked.

"Why didn't Dad want to come to the Reaping…?" she asked, quietly.

"He did want to…" Yu said. "But… he was forced to help the Peacekeepers..."

"It's not fair," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "Why does he always have to do stuff for someone else, but not me?"

"Hey…" said Yu, kneeling down next to her. "Your Dad really loves you… I promise, he's absolutely doing this for your protection, to make sure nothing bad will happen to you and you don't get chosen for the arena. Would I lie to you…?"

"… No… thanks, Big Bro," she said. "I hope you don't get picked, either…"

"I probably won't," said Yu, smiling. "There's lots of other guys besides me."

But the thought still nagged on him. Of all the districts, they had the highest probability each of being chosen. A small town meant a tiny victim pool, and even if they included some of the nearby communities, that still probably only totaled about a thousand students when it was all said and done. Yu really hoped that none of the Investigation Team especially ended up in the arena…

They didn't have long to wait once they arrived. King Moron lined them up immediately after the first bell and the class marched through the halls as their vile teacher ranted about the Hunger Games and how it was actually good for building character and that he himself would have volunteered if he hadn't been a stupid teenager like they all were. By the end of the short walk, everyone wish he had volunteered; he surely wouldn't have made it through the Bloodbath at the Cornucopia.

Their principal made a very short, solemn speech to get things started. Their school's gymnasium was very small, so it was already pretty much at capacity with just the students, teachers, representatives of the Gods, and Peacekeepers. The parents, they knew, were waiting outside in the rain that had begun to fall, as they listened to see who would lose another child. With the loss of Saki Konishi so fresh in everyone's minds, it was hard to think that two more young people might leave Inaba forever.

Yu surveyed the remainder of the gym. Of course, he recognized the uniform-clad members of Yasogami High, plus the elementary kids far away (Nanako kept looking back at him and the other members of the Investigation Team, but was unable to join them due to the separation by grade and gender). At long last, a High Priest stepped forward, as the Hymns were finished and the cameras turned to him.

"I have several announcements about this year's Reaping and Hunger Games," he announced in a loud, rumbling voice. "First of all, and most importantly: there will be no sponsors this year from the Gods. Tributes will be on their own."

This was unprecedented. The Gods loved to sponsor their favorite people; it was like their way of sort of playing the Games themselves. But they knew better than to think anything about that.

"The second, though it's one I realize you're already aware of… all age restrictions have been relaxed in either direction," he said.

There weren't that many young adults left in Inaba. Most went on to universities in the cities, and they were permitted to stay there to avoid the Reaping, though some did come back to assist their families. Yu noticed the garage station attendant he'd met on day one sitting in the far back, slightly removed from everyone else, watching the proceedings with eyes filled with boredom.

"And that is all I shall reveal right now. Further announcements will come post-Reaping," he said. "At this time… I would like to announce this year's tributes."

"Good luck," Yu heard a whisper behind him. He saw Daisuke and Kou give him a thumbs up and a wink. It was amazing that they were still in high spirits.

Meanwhile, the Priest reached into the small glass bowl that held the names of every girl in the District, before he walked over to the microphone again. He opened the rolled up piece of paper, and read the name.

"Naoto Shirogane."

Gasps and shrieks filled the air, as the entire Investigation Team turned toward their newest member. Naoto, still dressed in her boys' uniform, seemed utterly perplexed at first. Then, she calmly stood up, adjusted her hat, brushed off her uniform, and stepped down through the mess of students. Many girls wept, none more-so than Rise, Yukiko, and Chie, as the Detective Prince made her way up the steps and onto the stage.

"I respectfully decline any votes for volunteering," said Naoto, bowing her head.

"That's the spirit," said the High Priest. "Let us hope the young man we choose has your guts, young lady."

"Thank you," said Naoto, nodding. She remained very calm on stage; obviously part of her training as a detective. Cool under pressure… they wouldn't have it any other way.

"And our male tribute… … Yosuke Hanamura," said the Priest.

The reaction wasn't nearly as startling and infuriated as it had been for Naoto, but the Investigation Team especially were shocked and horrified. Yosuke looked as if his world had ended again, and he needed Kanji's help just to stand up. He numbly walked down the steps, as whispers filled the gymnasium. Yosuke hadn't been too popular with many students, especially of the children whose stores had closed because of his Dad's supermarket. But Chie still bawled quietly into her lap, as Yukiko hugged her.

"I… also… deny any volunteers…" he said, hollowly, as he stood next to Naoto, who was wide-eyed and losing her cool demeanor by the second.

"There we have it!" the Head Priest said. "Now, before we conclude the ceremony, I ask that we all turn our attention to the screen, for one final announcement from the Head Game God himself.

Every eye was fixed on the screen above, watching as the symbol of the Gods began to fade, replaced by a video of the story sky. Another hymn began to play, and everyone in the audience murmured along with it, while Yosuke and Naoto continued to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and their friends in the audience continue to reel and cry for their friends, who were likely to enter the arena and never return.

**Author's Notes:**

**Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!**

**The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself). **

**The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win. **

**Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, twenty-one tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.**

**That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.**

**ALSO: Starting from here-on, I've put the schedule of updates on my profile, so you can know when the next installments of my stories are coming out. It's not going to be perfect due to my job, so I might miss a few deadlines here and there, but, overall, it's a good indicator of when you can expect things to be out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger Games Galaxies**

**District 12 Introduction: Part 2**

"Citizens of the Twelve Districts…" said the Voice of the Gods. "Welcome to the Reaping. As you send your courageous Tributes off to the field of battle, keep in your hearts the hope for them to return victorious! It is only with your encouragement and prayers that they may have an edge in battle."

Around the auditorium, the sobs were stifled when the voice began to speak. Yu felt his fists digging into his hands as tears sprang to his eyes. How was it possible that two of his best friends were being sent to the arena? He blinked to clear his vision and turned his head to find the others. Chie was supporting Yukiko still down the line as she quietly cried into the former's blazer.

"Each year," continued the Voice. "The 24 tributes provide ample opportunity for not only the Gods but all of you in the Districts to observe each other in a cultural exchange of sorts… but we were wondering… how could we make this exchange even stronger and more varied…?"

A couple of rows in front of them, he could see Rise's hair, as she also silently shook. Kanji was easiest to spot, and he wasn't crying… he seemed to be in shock. He didn't move a muscle the entire time Yu looked at him. Teddie was nowhere to be found. It wasn't surprising that there was no record of him at the schools, but surely the Gods knew of him…

"And therefore…" announced the Voice, loudly. "The Gods have decreed that, from each District, we shall Reap a second group of tributes, ensuring this year's Hunger Games provides even more entertainment than the last!"

The horror of this announcement swept over the audience, and pandemonium began to break out as students started to run for their siblings or friends. Yu could see Nanako trying to push through the crowd amongst the stampede of elementary students trying desperately to get to their elder siblings. Shots rang out, which brought the crowd to a halt as they ducked for cover, but it seemed the bullets were blanks meant to scare, rather than kill.

"Order!" roared the High Priest from the stage. "I will have order in my District, children! Now, we shall finish our Reaping in a moment… again, if I call your name, carefully proceed to the stage. Everyone else, please remain in your assigned spots until you are dismissed!"

As the teachers ushered everyone back into their assigned spots, the High Priest moved to the girls' bowl again. Yu felt his chest tighten. He thought of all his female friends: Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Ai, Yumi, Ayane… and of course Nanako. There wasn't any guarantee that Yasogami would see another female taken from them, but that didn't stop his worry. He couldn't think of anyone he wanted to see taken instead, even the highly unpleasant Hanako…

"District 12's second tribute… is Rise Kujikawa," read the High Priest.

Though Rise had screamed at the sound of her name, the eruption of emotion from her fans was even worse. Yu was sure the entire adolescent demographic in the country was up in arms right about then. Swarmed by cameras and people, Rise slowly and tearfully made her way through the throng of students, finally having to be extracted by the Peacekeepers and led to the stage herself. Naoto and Yosuke took her hand as she made her way there; the poor girl was crying too hard to even stand up. The High Priest tried to call for applause for her, but too many people were still screeching their disapproval. It was only about a half minute later that everyone realized Rise herself was trying to say something.

"E-Everyone… I… I don't want any vo-vo-volunteers," she choked out, before breaking down again.

"Even in the face of certain destruction, she bravely pushes forward… this is the Risette we've grown to know and love. I daresay if there were Sponsors this year, you'd be set," said the High Priest, kindly patting her arm and grinning. "Very well! Time for our second male!"

Though the audience was still screaming and yelling obscenities, and some Peacekeepers were trying to be inconspicuous in subduing the more outrageous ones (a task they failed miserably at since their uniforms clashed so violently with those of Yasogami and the surrounding schools), the High Priest made a show of carefully stirring the names around before he pulled a slip out, taking his sweet time walking back to the microphone. Finally, he opened the paper.

"Daisuke Nagase!" yelled the man.

Directly behind Yu came the frightened cries of both Daisuke and Kou. Yu turned, eyes wide with shock, as a nearby Peacekeeper grabbed ahold of his wrist and started pulling Daisuke away from the others. Kou looked at Yu, and looked as if is world had just ended. His best friend was being taken from him; Yu couldn't even imagine what that must be like. And yet… as he looked to the stage, where Yosuke, Naoto, and Rise were fighting (or failing) to hold back tears… he realized that he knew exactly how that felt. And he wasn't going to let it happen.

"I volunteer!" he screamed, having to do it several times before he could get his voice above the pandemonium. "I volunteer as a tribute for Daisuke!"

"What's this…? We have a volunteer!" cried the High Priest. "How fantastic! Please, come this way, young man."

The sea of students parted pretty easily for Yu as he headed for the stage. Daisuke tried to stop him as he passed, but Yu shook his head. In the audience, he could hear Nanako screaming for him, her voice cracking with sobs, but he didn't stop. Somewhere, part of his brain wondered what was wrong with him. But another part though of the life he'd have if nobody came back, how he'd let his friends be led to the slaughter…

"I won't accept no for an answer, nor substitutions," he said. Inwardly, he prayed his bravado wouldn't give out in front of the cameras.

"Very well!" roared the High Priest. "In that case, please give your best wishes to our four tributes from District 12!"

"This shall be my final announcement," rang out the Voice of the Gods, silencing everyone once more. "To each of our Districts… and to our viewing entities… there is one additional rule change to this year's Hunger Games. If the last 2, 3, or 4 tributes are from the same district, they shall be declared the victor, and the Games will end."

And the silence hung in the air for a good twenty seconds before that sunk in. Yu, Yosuke, Naoto, and Rise looked at each other. For the first time since the day had started, they broke into smiles, one-by-one, until they were smiling with tears running down their face. They were fortunate; surely no other district had anyone this close fighting together? Their hope was infectious, and soon the entire auditorium had been brought to a standing, screaming ovation, cheering on their four tributes as the four wrapped their arms around each other and the two on the ends held their hands up in a V-sign for the victory they promised to bring home to District 12.

~*~!~*~

After the fanfare of the Reaping, the meeting quarters in the Senior classrooms were almost eerily quiet. Light refreshments were provided for the tributes so that their families could each have a final meal together before they left for the transfer portal. Yu wasn't hungry, for perhaps the first time in his life. His visitors trickled in, one-by-one, saying their goodbyes and best wishes.

Many of his classmates only stayed for a short time. Yu was surprised to see several coworkers from the hospital, some of whom he'd rarely spoken to, including the nurse Sayoko. She promised she would do everything she could to help from her end, and thanked him for helping her in the hospital. Nobody else from his daycare job stopped in, but the mother of one of his trouble kids, Eri, also brought him a small package of sweets and begged him to stay safe in the arena.

His classmates were harder to say goodbye, but none as much as Kou and Daisuke. The latter broke down while trying to thank him, promising that he would take the gift of his life with everything he had, vowing to never back down from any fight and to lead the charge for District 12 in the future. Predictably, Ai, Ayane, and Yumi spent much of their visit in tears as well, begging Yu to return to them. Naoki had trouble forming words, but finally was able to thank him for helping him come to terms with his sister's death.

Shu and his mother were among the last of his visitors. They both thanked him for his wonderful tutoring, and Shu vowed to be one of the top students in his class without cheating. Then came Hisano, the old woman he'd met by the river. She told him that she'd pray for him every night, and ask her husband to keep watching over him as well.

Facing Nanako and his Uncle Dojima was the hardest of the visits by far. She bawled as she hugged him tight, and even Dojima had trouble focusing on his words. But what he'd said about the Peacekeepers was deeply troubling to Yu.

"They restrained several… a couple guys got beat up pretty bad for badmouthing them or the Gods," said Dojima, sighing and patting Nanako on the back. "Even one of our officers got his nose busted when he refused to partake in the… brutality…"

"Anyone we know…?" asked Yu.

"No… almost everyone from Inaba is behaving," said Dojima. "But my hands are tied… I'm lucky they even let me off long enough to say goodbye to you…"

"Big Bro," Nanako muttered quietly.

"Yes, Nanako, what is it?" asked Yu.

"You have to come back, ok?" she said, quietly. "You gotta fight hard and win…"

"Of course," said Yu, also patting her on the head. "I'm just so happy you didn't get picked…"

"I… I wish I could go with you…" she said, sniffing.

"No," said Yu. "Don't be like that. You have too much to do here. You have to make sure Inaba is safe while I'm gone, okay?"

"… o… okay," she said.

"Would you like something to eat?" asked Yu, indicating a desk with a small platter of food. "One last meal?"

"Sure… thanks, Big Bro," she said.

Luckily, Dojima was able to persuade the Peacekeepers outside to give them a few extra minutes while they shared a few bites of the meal. It wasn't substantial, and none of them were especially hungry, but at least it gave them a couple of minutes to retreat from the insanity outside. All too quickly, their time was up, and the Peacekeepers arrived to take Dojima and Nanako away.

After them, nobody else showed up. Yu checked his watch; they still had almost ten minutes before they had to leave the school altogether. He quietly left his room and headed down the hall. The one next door was empty, so he went to the third one, and slid it open. The entire investigation team was in there, as well as Teddie. He immediately crushed Yu in a massive hug, his fur matted down with his free flowing tears.

"Sorry for not visiting you directly…" Yukiko muttered. "There were so many people going in and out that I didn't get a chance to…"

"It's okay," said Yu. "I'm happier we could all be together like this…"

Kanji sat silently next to Naoto, the both of them staring hard at their feet. Yukiko and Chie were sat next to Rise, patting her shoulder and whispering quietly to her. Every now and again, she'd giggle as they relived some funny memory that probably involved injuring or humiliating the boys. Yosuke and Yu sat against the far wall as Teddie continued to cling to Yu's arm, quietly rocking back and forth.

"We can do this, Yosuke," Yu finally muttered. "We can fight and we can win. Nobody else has the kind of bond we've all got."

"Yeah," said Yosuke. "We just have to stick together in the arena. Right from the get-go."

"But what kind of set up will they have, I wonder…?" muttered Naoto. "The cornucopia will have to be massive… there'll be nearly 50 people on the field at once…"

"Well… don't go running into the center," said Chie. "Too many people get killed doing that. Just get away so you don't have to fight right away."

"She's right," said Kanji. "Get some shelter, get a weapon, and then you can kick some ass!"

"It does bother me a little that they'll be sealing our Personas…" muttered Naoto. "But… I suppose it might be for the better."

"Wait, how'd you know they'll be doing that?" asked Yosuke.

"Well it makes sense. Any powers that give an offensive of defensive advantage are always sealed from the other Districts. There's no reason for us to believe they won't do the same for our Personas," explained the girl.

"But even with that, we've got everything we need," said Yu. "We've all fought Shadows before."

"These won't be Shadows, though…" Yukiko muttered. "They're going to be more kids… like us…"

"That's true… but if we want to come back, we have to fight," said Yu. "So… let's give it everything we've got."

The doors slid open and the Peacekeepers strode in to break up the group. The rest of the Investigation Team went quietly, knowing what Yu had said, and gave their friends one final, forlorn wave as they were led out of sight. Two more Peacekeepers beckoned the remaining tributes out the door, and Yosuke, Naoto, Yu, and Rise began the long journey towards their portal.

The station was crowded with well-wishers and reporters and both normal and floating cameras, each trying to get a final close-up of the tributes as they boarded the wizened train that would take them back towards the city. From there, they were due to board a jet supplied from the Kirijo corporation, which would bring them to the preselected portal location. Their final views of Inaba showed fans lining the tracks, holding hastily made signs and throwing roses and other flowers at their favorite tributes, as the train rounded the bend and disappeared into the forests and countryside.

"This is probably the most crowded this train has ever been," commented Naoto.

The double-car train was full with not only the tributes, but the delegation of Priests and their bodyguards, as well as a small, select group of reporters who were always given access to the Reaping. Thankfully, their cameras weren't on yet, so the four friends were able to relax out of the public eye; everyone else left them alone for the trip. But, even still, they weren't able to discuss anything, as their thoughts began to travel off into the distance, well beyond the reaches of District 12, District 7, and even their entire world, off into the Galaxies of the other Districts and the Gods who loomed imperiously over them.

**Author's Note:**

**This completes the introduction for District 12. Once the remaining introductions are uploaded for the remaining districts, I will finally be able to start writing the story of the actual games, starting with the introductory parade and interviews.**


End file.
